Mechanical fork



April 1951 o. H. COOPER I 2,550,329

MECHANICAL FORK Filed March 7, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Allarueys I nreumr April 24, 1951 Filed March 7, 1947 o. H. COOPER 2,550,329

MECHANICAL FORK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z 20 O 2 19 J5- 9 2% g /5 I 15 1 Z5 J I J ,2! l i i 22 J7 r i J T 26 4 I J6". :20 x P 1/4 & g5 3 D I? I 4 Inventor w f 17 UZZWeWflCaopfi II I II III II B V I 9 Attorneys Patented Apr. 24, 1951 1 2,550,329 1 MECHANICAL FORK Oliver H. Cooper, Burley, Idaho Application March 'l, 1947, Serial No. 733,146 v, 2 .Claims. I (or. 294; 124) I This invention relates to an improved construction of mechanical fork adapted foruse in handling one or a plurality of bales of hay or straw or other materials and more particularly has reference to a novel trip releaseby means of which bale engaging elements of the fork may be released to swing to a position for releasing the bales therefrom while the fork is in motion or stationary and while the fork is located at a considerable distance from'the operator.

Still another and important object of the invention is to provide a fork having trip means for permitting the fork to be moved by the weight of the load carried thereby to a released position and which will thereafter return to a position in which it can be latched with the load engaging elements in operative positions pre- 7 paratory to engaging another load, to thus enable the fork to be operated entirely at a position remote to the operator, as for example, in an elevated position. v i

iVarious other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more ful1y ap parent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating, a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view of the me-- chanical fork shown in an engaged, operative position; I I 5 Figure, 2 is an edge elevational view? of the same and showing the fork in a released position as, it will appear immediately after, :the release ofaload therefrom; I l

Figure 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of the central portion of the fork and showing the trip and latch mechanism thereof;

, Figure 4 is an edge elevational view showing the fork in an operative position and illustrating a load, in dotted lines, engaged thereby, and

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5--5 of Figure 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the improved fork in its entirety is designated generally 6 and includes a supporting frame, designated generally I, having a center rod 8 provided with an eye 9 at its outer end and having a web I secured to its inner end and provided with aligned sleeves or barrels I I which are disposed in spaced relationship beyond the inner end of the rod 8. The frame I also includes diagonal braces I2 having corresponding ends secured to the rod 8, adjacent the eye 9 and which diverge therefrom and are provided at their opposite, remote ends with sleeves or barrels I3 which align with the barrels or sleeves II and which are-spaced outwardly therefrom a'substantialdistance. 7 I

A shaft I4 is journaled'inthe barrels I I and 1 I3 and is providedwith an enlargement or collar- I disposed intermediate the ends thereof and located between the sleeves or barrels II. The" rotatable shaft or rod I4 is provided with apm: rality of tines I6 which project substantially" radially therefrom in the same direction and which are provided with slightly upturned free end portions, as seen in Figures 2 and 4. The tines I6 are fixedly secured to the shaft I4 andare spaced relatively to one another, the shaft I4 being illustrated as provided with four tines- I6,two of which are located between each sleeve I3 and the adjacent sleeve II. Howeveryitis to be understood that the tines may be spaced various distances apart and a'fewer or greater number oftinesmay' be employed. l s An elongated U-shaped frame I! includes two corresponding legs I8 having outturned free end portions'alflnwhich' terminate in upwardly or out-- wardly .offset terminals which are secured in any suitable manner to thelshaft I 4, outwardly ofpthe sleeves I I and so that the portions I9J'are disposed in outwardly spaced relation-- ship to said ,sleevesfor oscillatory 'movement; therearound. The legs I8 are connected inter mediate ofatheir endsby a cross bar 21 having, a'squared or-non-circu1ar opening 22 therein which, registers-or-:,aligns with asubstantially V diametrical, bore 23 extending through the collar.

An elongated latch bolt 24 is provided with a non-circular end portion 25 which reciprocably and non-rotatably engages the opening 22 and which terminates in an eye 26 which is located in the frame I! between the cross bar 2| and the bight portion 21 thereof. A portion of the latch bolt 24 is reciprocably disposed in the bore 23 of the collar I5 and an expansion coil spring 28 is disposed around a portion of the latch bolt 24 and has one end thereof seating on the upper side of the cross bar 2I and its opposite end bearing against a pin 29 which extends through the bolt 24 beneath and adjacent the collar I5 and by means of which said latch bolt is urged upwardly relatively to the frame I1. The lower end of the rod 8 is provided with a recess 30 to receive the opposite, upper end of the bolt 24 when the frame I! is substantially in alignment with said rod 8 for latching the shaft I4 against rotation within the sleeves II and I3 and with its tines I6 disposed substantially perpendicuany suitable stationary or movable hoisting 1 means, such as illustrated at 33 in Figure 2 and including a movable or stationary structure 34 provided with a supporting arm 35 for a bracket 36 in which a pulley 31 is journaled. A flexible member such as a rope or cable 38 is trained.

over the pulley 37 and has one end thereof secured to the eye 9; the other end, not shown, may be connected to any suitable draft means forming a part of the hoist 33, not shown.

Assuming that the latch bolt 24 is engaged in the recess 30, the fork 6 may be swung into a position so that each of ,the tines IE; will penetrate a bale of hay, straw or other material, one of which is indicated in Figure 4 in broken lines at 39. By operation of the, hoisting mechanism 33, forming no part of the invention, the fork 6 may be elevated and transported for elevating and conveying the bales 39 engaged by the tines IS, The bales may be retained and engaged with the tines until they are moved and located in their new positions, after which by exerting an outward pull on the flexible member 3| the latch bolt 24 will be disengaged from the recess 30 to release the shaft l4 so that when an upward pull is exerted on the fork 6 by the flexible member 38 the tines l6 will assume the position of Figure2 for disengaging themselves from the :bale or bales 39. Likewise, the bales 39 may be dropped while in transit over a desired location by exerting a pull on the flexible member 3| to release the shaft M, as previously described, so that the weight of the bales 39 will cause the tines It to assume the position of Figure 2 to allow the bales to slide readily therefrom. The weight of the frame |.7 will tend to cause the parts to return to their positions of Figure 4 and by exerting a pull on the flexible member 3|: to again retract the latch bolt 24, the-frame I1 can be brought back to alignment with the rod 8 so that upon release of the pull on the flexible member 3| the latch bolt 24 will be returned by the spring 28 back into engagement with the recess 30 for relatching the'fork 6 in its operative position and while still in a location remote to the operator.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a fork of the character described, a, frame, a forkhaving a head journaled in said frame, a latch including a reciprocable latch bolt, a support for said bolt secured at one of its ends to the fork head and projecting therefrom at an angle to the tines or teeth of the fork, said support being heavier than the fork tines to cause the support to assume a depending position substantially in the same plane as the frame for positioning: the fork in an operative position, said frame having a socket for receiving an end of the latch bolt for latching the fork in an operative position relatively to said frame, and spring means for urging the latch bolt to a projected position and for retaining it releasably in engagement with said socket to releasably retain the fork in an operative position,

2. A fork as in claim 1, and flexible means connected to and depending from the lower end of said latch bolt for retracting the bolt, against the action of said spring means, out of engagement with the socket whereby the fork is adapted to be rotated in the frame to a load releasing position by the weight of a load supported on the tine or tines of the fork, said flexible member extending longitudinally of the support and reciprocally through the end of the support disposed remote to the fork head.

OLIVER H. COOPER.

REFERENCES CiTED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

